At the 2022 Plenary Assembly the members of UISG committed “to live vulnerable synodality through service as a leader, animating it within the community together with the people of God."

Read the full committment here

UISG is now delighted to announce that Sr. Maria Cimperman rscj will join the UISG staff in September 2023 as the coordinator of a new initiative which aims to support the members of UISG in living that synodal commitment. 

Maria is a Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (RSCJ). She is currently Associate Professor of Theological Ethics and Consecrated Life at Catholic Theological Union (Chicago, USA). She is no stranger to UISG. For the past five years she has been a presenter on consecrated life during the UISG Formators Programme. She has also served on the organizing team of the UISG’s Women Religious Theologians Symposium which brought together 20 sister theologians last June. During 2021-2022 Maria was one of two women religious theologians who together with two male religious theologians served on the UISG-USG Synod Synthesis Commission. Together, on behalf of the two Unions, they read and prepared a synthesis of the responses received from religious around the world, which was then presented to the Synod Office.

Her work is at the intersection of moral theology, social ethics and spirituality. She was the founding Director of the Center for the Study of Consecrated Life (CSCL), at Catholic Theological Union (CTU), which she led from 2014-2022. The Centre offers theological, academic, and pastoral resources to groups of religious for engaging contemporary issues at local, regional and global levels of consecrated life and ministry. One of the projects of the CSCL was a 3-year train the trainer program on interculturality and consecrated life. As a theologian deeply engaged in consecrated life, Maria has worked with congregational leaders, sisters in formation ministry, religious organizations, and with women and men in initial and ongoing formation. 

Author of three books, Sr. Maria’s most recent publication, Religious Life for Our World: Creating Communities of Hope, received First Place in the Future Church category (Catholic Media Association 2021). She is also co-editor, with Roger Schroeder, SVD, of Engaging Our Diversity: Interculturality and Consecrated Life Today. Sr. Maria has been recently appointed to full professorship at CTU and, although based in Rome, will continue to offer courses for CTU.

On sabbatical this academic year, her current research is on synodality, reconciliation and consecrated life.  We are confident that Sr. Maria Cimperman with her extensive theological background and experience is well prepared to lead UISG’s synodal initiative which will enrich consecrated life and the life of the Church.